If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

(ANOTHER) "The most important book about Zen in the West"

I would like to introduce another book ... Shohaku Okumura's "Living by Vow: A Practical Introduction to Eight Essential Zen Chants and Texts" as also ANOTHER "The most important book about Zen in the West" ... especially for those wishing to go a bit deeper into the significance and origins of some of the traditional chants and practices one will encounter around Treeleaf and most other Soto Zen Sangha. Okumura Sensei goes deeply into the ancient meanings ... while at the same time keeping it real and grounded for our modern times. I would recommend it perhaps a little more for those with a bit of sitting under their belt, rather than our new new beginners.

From the jacket ...

This immensely useful book explores Zen’s rich tradition of chanted liturgy and the powerful ways that such chants support meditation, expressing and helping us truly uphold our heartfelt vows to live a life of freedom and compassion. Exploring eight of Zen’s most essential and universal liturgical texts, Living by Vow is a handbook to walking the Zen path, and Shohaku Okumura guides us like an old friend, speaking clearly and directly of the personal meaning and implications of these chants, generously using his experiences to illustrate their practical significance. A scholar of Buddhist literature, he masterfully uncovers the subtle, intricate web of culture and history that permeate these great texts. Esoteric or challenging terms take on vivid, personal meaning, and old familiar phrases gain new poetic resonance. ...

... and a review ...

The words of introduction ‘Okumura guides us like an old friend, with a sure and gentle hand’ are a most accurate description for it. It soons become clear that our author is not only a renowned scholar of Buddhist literature but he is a dedicated practitioner as well. The title takes us right into the first chapter on the Four Bodhisattva Vows. With each chapter Okumura first looks at the title in their original language as a way of pointing to the underlying meaning. From this he develops a rich and insightful understanding which for me certainly brings the chant alive ... he does this with not only the Four Vows but also with ... the Verse of Repentance ... He goes on with the Three Refuges, The Robe Chant, The Meal Chants, the Heart Sutra, Merging of Difference and Unity and finally Opening the Sutra.

Hi
Shohaku Okumura's Living by Vow and genjokoan are both available on Kindle. Great for visually impaired folks that need larger fonts or just like having the convenience of having their library with them where ever they go… Also Amazon's Kindle offers a very reasonable price!

Hi
Shohaku Okumura's Living by Vow and genjokoan are both available on Kindle. Great for visually impaired folks that need larger fonts or just like having the convenience of having their library with them where ever they go… Also Amazon's Kindle offers a very reasonable price!

Jim

Thanks for that Jim. I actually found it from Indigo books for 16.00 dollars, so ordered it. Wow, I am going to end up having a book going in every room.

Gassho
Michael

倫道 真現

As a trainee priest, please take any commentary by me on matters of the Dharma with a pinch of salt.

I just heard about a new documentary being made on the home life of Shohaku Okumura and his family (I believe, though not sure, that the director is his daughter). Keep an eye out, and trailer below. Adam from SweepingZen writes ...

Three Souls Trailer – A Film by Yoko Okumura

The apple seemingly falls far from the tree when you compare Shohaku Okumura, a Japanese Zen Buddhist priest and his 19 year old son Masaki, a 21st century boy who loves sci-fi shows, Gundam anime series, video games and is not yet sure what to do with his life. In a small midwest town of Bloomington, Indiana they run a small temple with the mother; Yuko, supporting its administration. Though each lead separate paths, the ﬁlm displays the similarities within all of their pursuits for the meaning of life, in their own unique ways.

THREE SOULS is currently seeking funding opportunities, investors and donations to continue production of the film. Please contact opus333@gmail.com for more information.

I just heard about a new documentary being made on the home life of Shohaku Okumura and his family (I believe, though not sure, that the director is his daughter). Keep an eye out, and trailer below. Adam from SweepingZen writes ...

Three Souls Trailer – A Film by Yoko Okumura

The apple seemingly falls far from the tree when you compare Shohaku Okumura, a Japanese Zen Buddhist priest and his 19 year old son Masaki, a 21st century boy who loves sci-fi shows, Gundam anime series, video games and is not yet sure what to do with his life. In a small midwest town of Bloomington, Indiana they run a small temple with the mother; Yuko, supporting its administration. Though each lead separate paths, the ﬁlm displays the similarities within all of their pursuits for the meaning of life, in their own unique ways.

THREE SOULS is currently seeking funding opportunities, investors and donations to continue production of the film. Please contact opus333@gmail.com for more information.